Beastmen Bowmen
|upkeep_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |ranged = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = Ranged Attack x8 }} Beastmen Bowmen are a type of Normal Unit that can be recruited in Beastmen Towns containing at least a Barracks and a Sawmill. Bowmen are the most basic Ranged Attack units in the game. Because of their very low initial Attack Strength, Beastmen Bowmen generally don't pose much of a threat to anything but the weakest enemies, although they can become somewhat stronger through , which their extra per can go a long way in helping them accumulate. Beastmen Bowmen have a Construction Cost of , and require an Upkeep Cost of and to maintain. Failure to pay these costs will result in the unit being disbanded automatically. Unit Properties Physical Description Beastmen Bowmen are a group of humanoid animals, covered entirely in fur and dressed only in dyed loincloths. Beastmen Bowmen carry bows and arrows, which can be fired at enemies from a distance. They wield short swords in situations where hand-to-hand combat is unavoidable, and are actually better with these than they are with the bows. Beastmen are physically resilient, stronger than the average human, and their inherent magical nature gives them some protection from ill effects. Beastmen Bowmen are a , containing up to soldiers. Attack Properties Beastmen Bowmen initially possess very weak attacks, which will only be threatening to other low-tier Normal Units. Their Melee- and Ranged Attacks have Attack Strengths of only and , which have average "raw" outputs of and respectively - in the case of the latter, there is only a 30% chance for each Bowman to inflict any on the opponent, which may then possibly be negated by a Defense Roll. In fact, unless they are firing at a point blank distance of 2 tiles or closer, the Ranged Missile Attacks of Beastmen Bowmen are even less dangerous than this, as they suffer a penalty of for every 3 tiles that the arrows have to cross on their way to a target. As a result, Beastmen Bowmen are highly unlikely to get through any armor at a range, although they may be able to injure lightly-armored enemies in close combat. They also get better with , both in the strength and accuracy of their attacks. At the level, the maximum normally attainable, each Bowman can do points of average "raw" in melee, and from a distance. However, the range penalties for their missile attacks do still apply, although it's worth noting that their final chance To Hit can never go below , regardless of modifiers. Beastmen Bowmen also have a limited amount of ammunition, and can only use their Ranged Attacks 8 times during any given battle. Defensive Properties Beastmen Bowmen wear very little armor, and possess a Defense score of only . They can deflect about points from Conventional Damage attacks, on average - which is barely anything, and leaves them extremely vulnerable. Fortunatey, Beastmen are quite resilient, and each Bowman has , which means that unlike most other common foot soldiers, this unit will not lose a for every point of inflicted upon it. Their base Resistance score does leave something to be desired though - with , they have a fair chance at avoiding the weakest Unit Curses and combat maledictions, but will easily fall prey to stronger ill effects. All three of these statistics improve with however. Other Properties Beastmen Bowmen move at a slow , and can only traverse land tiles. The unit has no special movement properties. Basic Strategy Beastmen Bowmen offer the tactical advantage of Ranged Attacks, but are otherwise quite unremarkable. They are weaker than close combat units both offensively and defensively, and generally require or enhancement spells to have even a chance at becoming a worthwhile investment. This is partly due to their missile attacks suffering from range penalties , making their initial Attack Strength of almost worthless; but also because they cost more to both recruit and maintain than either Beastmen Spearmen or Beastmen Swordsmen. As a result, they are overall less ideal for Town garrisons early in the campaign, despite their ranged capability. Although Beastmen Bowmen may have some strategic viability in defending walled Cities from melee attackers - especially if the gates can be blocked by a tougher unit -, this will rarely warrant their higher Upkeep Cost, since they require significant upgrades to be able to consistently damage anything in combat. Their low speed also means that they generally can't move and shoot on the same turn, and are thus incapable of using hit-and-run tactics. Therefore, to utilize their full potential, which calls for close range targets, they need a line of other units in front of them in open field battles. Otherwise, they will fall quickly to enemy melee troops despite their higher , as they have next to no armor to mitigate the incoming attacks. Beastmen also have a racial unit that is superior in almost every respect: Centaurs. They have none of the above shortcomings, possessing a higher Movement Allowance, stronger attacks, better , and more per . Although they do have a higher Construction Cost, Centaurs can be maintained for the same price. They may also become available at roughly the same time, since both units require a Barracks and one other Town Building, the latter being the Stables for the Centaurs, which is actually slightly cheaper. However, it's worth remembering that the Sawmill, the building necessary to recruit Beastmen Bowmen, has an economical role as well, and will improve the City's output from the moment it's built. In addition, Centaurs do have one glaring disadvantage compared to Beastmen Bowmen: their lower ammo capacity. Combined with their also lower count, this means that they only have a total of 24 arrows to fire in every battle - exactly half as much as Beastmen Bowmen do. On the other hand, they may be able to make up for this with their speed advantage and better statistics, which generally mean that they are less helpless when they do run out of ammunition. Ability Overview Ranged Attack x8 * This unit may use a instead of a Melee Attack up to 8 times in each battle. Once the unit's ammo is expended, it must resort to Melee Attacks. Experience Table The following table illustrates how Beastmen Bowmen improve with Experience. Any properties that are not listed here are not affected by in any way. * To achieve this level, either the Warlord Retort or the spell must be in play. ** To achieve this level, both Warlord and must be in play simultaneously. Average Damage Output The table below details the average amount of "raw" that each in a Beastmen Bowmen unit will deliver with each type of attack, based on . It can be used in comparison to the target's Defense rating to approximate the chance of hurting that target. Acquisition Beastmen Bowmen may be recruited in Beastmen Towns that have both a Barracks and a Sawmill already built. Because the latter Town Building further requires a Forest or Nature Node in the City's catchment area, it is not always possible to build, which means that this unit can not necessarily become available in every Town. The Construction Cost of Beastmen Bowmen is . They may also appear as Mercenaries, provided that the player has a presence on Myrror. In this case, they cost between to to hire per unit, based on their - or half that much for Charismatic Wizards. Category:Units Category:Normal Units Category:Beastmen Category:Bowmen